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Wed 18th Nov

IAN McMILLAN, LUKE CARVER GOSS & SENSE OF SOUND CHOIR

Malcolm Lowry

The Re-entry of Malcolm Lowry into Liverpool: A Song Tricycle
Saturday 21 November at 8.00pm at the Bluecoat


Sense of Sound’s latest collaboration sees members of the choir working with poet, Ian McMillan and composer Luke Carver Goss.Well known for his work on national radio, notably BBC Radio 3’s language and literature cabaretThe Verb, Ian McMillan - ‘the John Peel of poetry’ – is creating a song cycle about Lowry, whose 1947 novel Under the Volcano is a modern classic, often positioned in the top 100 novels of the 20th Century.

Commissioned for the Bluecoat’s Lowry season and written with composer Luke Carver Goss, the piece will be performed by Liverpool’s Sense of Sound choir.
A ukulele player and jazz lover, music was important to Lowry, who was born on Merseyside. The songs imagine him revisiting Liverpool, and look at three strands of his life: the sea, writing and drink. They also reflect Lowry’s inventiveness as a writer, the dreaminess of his incandescent prose. Bridging the space between poet and choir, speech and song, river and land, the choral music is a metaphor for the River Mersey as it flows through the city and in and out of Lowry’s life and work.
Our new work follows Lowry as he travels dark roads and tortuous landscapes of the mind, from Liverpool to Mexico and back again. It contains songs of drink, doubt, death and despair, but also of stoicism and life-affirming jazz – and gives the audience a chance to ask ‘What if Lowry had lived longer and stayed in Liverpool. What then?’ - Ian McMillan

Tickets £5.00 from Tickets and Information at the Bluecoat, 0151 702 5324 or visit www.thebluecoat.org.uk

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Tue 8th Sep

SINGING COURSES 2009

We have 2 new exciting courses beginning later this month in Liverpool. Our ever popular Introduction to Singing course followed by our Singing in Harmony course will take place at The Bluecoat in the heart of Liverpool city centre.

Details of these courses are in the Courses and Workshops section on the left of this page. In order to secure a place please call us in the office on (0151) 702 7799 to discuss payment. We offer flexible payment opportunities so please feel free to discuss this with us.

We will also be running masterclasses in the new year so please keep checking this space for details.

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Sat 20th Jun

SENSE OF SOUND CHOIR AUDITIONS

Sense of Sound Choir is going to beholding some auditions on Friday 10th July at The Bluecoat, Liverpool city centre.  We are particularly looking for soprano singers but will consider other exceptional singers too.
There are on 26 auditions slots so please get in touch with us ASAP if you wish to secure a place. Each audition slot will last for 10 minutes only and you must come prepared to sing 1 complete unaccompanied solo piece in a contemporary style.

Applicants must be over 18 and ideally have experience of public performance. We are looking for confidence, passion and strong harmony skills. You must also be an excellent team player.

YOU CAN SECURE AN AUDITION SLOT IN 2 WAYS ONLY:

By either phoning the Sense of Sound office in Liverpool on (0151) 702 7799 OR by emailing me (choir manager) to jenny@senseofsound.net

It would be helpful if you could email a CV (if you have one) of your singing experience and your musical abilites eg. whether you play any instruments, read music etc.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Jennifer John (choir manager)

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Sat 20th Jun

CALLING YOUNG SINGERS IN GREENWICH!

Calling singers!!! Do you want to make new friends?

Do you enjoy singing, MCing or beat-boxing? Do you want to explore new styles of music? Do you want to work alongside professionals in the borough? If the answer to any of these questions is YES then we at Sense of Sound we would love you to come and join us!

If you are aged between 11 and 18 and are free on Thursday afternoons between 4.30pm and 6pm, then please come along. No previous experience required.

THE SESSIONS ARE COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE

Dates: Thursdays 4.30 – 6pm from 4 June
Venue: Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London, SE10 8ES

Sing Up Greenwich

Sense of Sound  is running Sing Up Greenwich, a singing project for children, young people and their teachers in the borough. Click here to find out more.

Summer School

Sense of Sound is also running a summer school in the week commencing 10th August. This will be for young people aged 13-16  and will include song writing and singing techniques.

For more information, please contact Juliet Russell on (0207) 229 6633 or email her at juliet@senseofsound.fsnet.co.uk.


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Wed 27th May

ESTILL TRAINING SYSTEMS WITH SENSE OF SOUND

‘An Essential workshop for all voice users’

Estill Level One Course

The Level One Course is for anyone interested in learning about the voice.

Taught by Helen Rowson, it deals with the anatomy and physiology of the voice before going on to cover the thirteen ‘compulsory figures’ identified by the Estill Model as essential for optimum vocal control. Knowledge of these ‘figures’ gives singers and teachers a real insight into the muscle control necessary for singing in all styles and with a wide range of vocal colour. It also provides a really valuable tool box for teachers to help trouble shoot vocal problems.

About the Estill Voice Training System

The Estill Voice Training System is the result of over 30 years of research carried out by Jo Estill, a professional singer who gave up the concert platform when she was in her 40’s to indulge her curiosity into the workings of the human voice. As she learned about the anatomy and physiology of the head and neck and the principles of the larynx, some of the answers to her long standing questions began to emerge.

The Estill Voice Training System is therefore based on the scientific findings of her research on how the voice actually works and merges science with artistry.

The system is useful for all voices, abilities and genres. It is used by performers, teachers, speech and language therapists, actors, and public speakers etc to enable truly versatile vocal performances.

About Sense of Sound

Sense of Sound has specialised in vocal education and training since 1992 and has gained a national reputation as one of the best deliverers of voice work. Recognised by Her Majesty the Queen as a Pioneer for the Nation the company has recently delivered vocal training for BBC Television and Radio, The Victoria and Albert Museum,

Tate Liverpool and Liverpool’s Capital of Culture.

About Helen Rowson B.A. Hons, MSc Vocal Pathology

Helen Rowson is a singer and vocal coach currently working in Barcelona, Spain and London and Liverpool, UK. She first came into contact with Jo Estill’s work in 1996 and since then has worked extensively with the model. From 2001 to 2004 she was the resident vocal coach on the Spanish version of Fame Academy (Operación Triunfo) while she continued her work as teacher and vocal coach for various schools, record and theatre companies. During this time she was also vocal technique teacher at the Liverpool Institute of the Performing Arts and in 2004 co-taught the Estill Voice Model on the Post Graduate Speech Therapy Course at Blanquerna University, Barcelona. Since then she has been invited as guest teacher to the Musikene Conservatoire in San Sebastian, Spain and has presented workshops both in Northern Ireland for TOSINI (Teachers of Singing in Northern Ireland) and at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

This year Helen was awarded the Master of Science in Vocal Pathology from University College London and her research will be published in 2009.

For more info check out our website:

www.senseofsoound.net

VENUE

The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool , L1 3BX

Tel: 0151 702 7799

info@senseofsound.net

Dates and Times

Friday June 26th to Sunday June 28th from 9am to 5pm

Price

£300 including vocal study books.

What people have said

Jo Estill’s work is pioneering in that she was the first to separate voice quality clearly into source and filter components! Her basic vocal tract shapes associated with sob (yawn), twang, and sing (opera) are fundamental to our current understanding of how the source and the filter interact.”

Ingo R. Titze, PhD, World-renowned voice scientist and Director

National Center for Voice and Speech

BE (Before Estill) I used to ask my various teachers why I couldn’t do certain things and never got a straight or useful answer. The first Estill workshop I attended in Australia was a revelation for me. I grieved for the voice I should have had for at least 12 months. …However, my main purpose now, is to pass on this wonderful work to as many people as I can. I am positive that Estill has answers!”

Helen Tiller, Premier Voice Coach

I owe Jo Estill a debt which can never be repaid.”

Paul Farrington, Technical Vocal Coach, RHO Covent Garden

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Thu 2nd Apr

SENSE OF SOUND CHOIR SECURE 19 DATE UK TOUR AS RUSSELL “THE VOICE” WATSON’S FEATURED GUEST


FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!!!!

We are currently the featured choir on Russell “THE VOICE” Watson’S 19 date national UK tour.
This is our biggest tour to date and we are all extremely excited about it!!!!!!
There are 15 of us performing on stage with Russell on each of the dates and one of our choir members, Emily Barden has taken on the role of Musical Director for the tour as our usual MD, Perri, is unavailable.

This is an amazing challenge for the choir as we are singing a predominantly classical repertoire. Emily has been doing a blinding job in making us sound as good as any classical choir out there

If you are coming to any of the dates listed please feel free to come and find us and say hello. We are always delighted to meet new friends and have a chat! Also, we will be selling an EP (short CD) at the gigs so please come and buy one!!

We are onto the 5th leg of the tour and so far all of the concerts have been sold out which has been amazing. When we played our home town gig at The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall we threw an aftershow party at 3345 and a fine time was had by all!!

The tour dates are below and we look forward to seeing you all at a city near you soon.

Big LOVE from all at SENSE OF SOUND CHOIR X X X X X X X X

03-04-09 Glasgow – Clyde Auditorium

05-04-09 Preston – Guildhall

07-04-09 Sheffield – City Hall

11-04-09 London – Royal Albert Hall

13-04-09 Brighton – Dome

15-04-09 Bristol – Colston Hall

18-04-09 Bournemouth – Intl Centre

21-04-09 Plymouth – Pavilions

23-04-09 Birmingham – Symphony Hall

27-04-09 Salford – Lowry

28-04-09 Salford – Lowry

01-05-09 Harrogate – Centre

03-05-09 Llandudno – Venue Cymru

05-05-09 Villa Marina – Isle of Man – Royal Hall

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Fri 6th Mar

GOT A SINGING AUDITION?

If you have an important audition and you want to give it all you’ve got, Sense of Sound can help to give you the edge that you need. From the X-Factor to West End shows to Performing Arts degrees, Sense of Sound has been successfully preparing soloists and groups for that all important moment and we can do the same for you.

Our Audition Preparation Course is now open for enrolment. This intensive course has been designed to  cover everything from song choice and vocal technique right through to confidence building, presentation and performance skills.

WHY SHOULD YOU COME TO US?
As one of the leading vocal training organisations in the UK, Sense of Sound’s impressive track record includes:

• Andy Abraham, X-Factor finalist
• Mercury music prize nominees: Dave McCabe (The Zutons)m MIA
• BBC’s Last Choir Standing
• BAFTA award winning series “The Choir – Boys Don’t Sing”
• Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) and Vocaltech students
• Cast members of Chicago, Blood Brothers, Sound of Music etc

SENSE OF SOUND
at The Bluecoat on
0151 702 7799
or email info@senseofsound.net
www.senseofsound.net
At Sense of Sound we are proud of our ability to inspire, nurture and artistically develop singers.
For more information about course details and prices please see below

Audition Preparation Course

The aim of these challenging new courses is to enable you to feel completely prepared and confident to give the best audition performance possible.

Sense of Sound will help you to achieve this by providing 2 intensive courses; one for soloists and one for groups.

SOLOIST’S COURSE:

The soloist’s course will include the following: –

  • Performance and presentation skills
  • Help with song choice
  • Improving vocal technique
  • Dress rehearsal
  • Singing in front of a professional panel
  • A DVD of your performance

Throughout the course, support material, class notes and regular feedback will be provided by Sense of Sound.

The soloist’s course takes place 1 evening a week over 4 weeks at The Bluecoat in Liverpool city centre

Course fee is £275. £50 deposit essential to secure a place. Full fee payable before start date.

GROUPS COURSE:

The group course content will replicate the soloist course but also include the following:-

  • Harmony skills
  • Basic choreography
  • Working effectively as a group.

This group’s course will take place over 4 linked weekends at The Bluecoat in

Liverpool city centre.

Fees for groups will vary depending on size and a deposit of £50 from each group member is required to secure a place. Full fee payable before start date.

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Fri 12th Dec

Singing Masterclass with Perri Alleyne-Hughes

Sense of Sound Choir Director and our very own Music Mogul, Perri Alleyne-Hughes, will de delivering two extra special masterclasses in February 2009 giving people a unique opportunity to experience large group harmony singing, to learn some of Perri’s amazing a cappella arrangements and to work with a phenomenal singer and choir director.

Artistic Director, Jennifer John will be joining Perri at the Bluecoat on 7th February 2009 from 2pm-5pm to deliver the Liverpool session.

Our London based Artistic Director, Juliet Russell will be delivering the session with Perri in London on 21st February 2009 from 2pm-5pm at The Tabernacle W11 2AY.

Whether you are interested in singing yourself, or want to give someone an interesting and alternative gift this Christmas, book your place now to receive 25% discount. £45 if you book before Christmas, £60 in the New Year.

To secure your place, please send a cheque made payable to Sense of Sound to Sense of Sound, at the Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX.

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Thu 4th Dec

Sense of Sound Choir Performs with Rev. Jesse Jackson

On 1st December 2008, Rev. Jesse Jackson, one of America’s foremost civil rights, religious and political figures delivered a free public lecture at Edge Hill University.

In a lecture entitled Civil Rights to Equanomics, Rev. Jackson focused on the relationship between economic justice and race. This timely event took place in the aftermath of this year’s historic American elections and the candidacy of Barack Obama the first black presidential candidate.

Sense of Sound is absolutely delighted that the choir was invited to perform at the historic event. We were even joined on stage by his own gospel singer during our rendition of Amazing Grace.

Sense of Sound Choir Director, Perri Alleyne-Hughes said “What an amazing night in so many ways. To be given the opportunity to sing at his event and to be joined by one of his most revered singers is just an absolute joy!”

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Thu 4th Dec

Portrait of a Nation

Portrait of a Nation is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the UK’s youth to explore and express what is special to them about where they come from, their local culture, community, heritage and identity.

Throughout 2008, young people from 17 different cities across the country have been working hard to learn more about what their identity means to them and what their hopes are for the future.

The projects have used a variety of art forms to express what is unique about their own cities including dance, music, song, film, comedy, digital art and creative writing.

On 2nd December, youths from each of the 17 cities came together at St. George’s Hall in Liverpool to perform in the finale of this inspiring project. It was an amazing feat incorporating all of the art forms and bringing all of the participants together collaboratively.

Working closely with More Music, Sense of Sound has been responsible for the singing element of Liverpool’s contribution to the show. Charlie Adams from Sense of Sound has been working with a group of Liverpool singers for the past three months to write and perform the songs that were used in the show. Charlie and all of the young singers did an absolutely amazing job and everyone’s performances were spectacular. The group had to work very hard to write and learn the music and really delivered on the night. Well done and thank you all. Extra special thanks go to Charlie Adams who made it all happen.

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